[비즈한국] Samsung Electronics005930 reached a 52-week high in the stock market on the 16th, hitting as much as 149,500 won. Market interest is focused on whether Samsung Electronics' stock price will surpass the 150,000 won mark. There is already a sentiment in the securities industry that breaking through 150,000 won is a foregone conclusion. KB Securities even projects that the stock price could rise to 200,000 won.
Analysts suggest that Samsung Electronics' recent stock price surge is closely tied to its performance. On the 8th, Samsung Electronics announced that it recorded 93 trillion won in consolidated revenue and 20 trillion won in operating profit for the fourth quarter of last year. These figures represent a 22.71% increase in revenue and a 208.17% increase in operating profit compared to the same period the previous year. This is the first time Samsung Electronics has exceeded 20 trillion won in quarterly operating profit.
The securities industry expects Samsung Electronics' performance to improve further this year. As earnings rise, the stock price is also expected to climb. Park Yu-ak, an analyst at Kiwoom Securities, analyzed, "Samsung Electronics is expected to exceed market expectations in the first quarter of this year with 104.8 trillion won in revenue and 25.6 trillion won in operating profit," adding, "Due to the impact of rising memory prices, the operating profit of the DS (Semiconductor) division is expected to surge to 23.4 trillion won."
Samsung Electronics' shareholder return policy is another factor driving expectations for a stock price increase. Following its shareholder return plan, Samsung Electronics has been returning 50% of the free cash flow generated over the three years from 2024 to 2026. Kim Young-geon, an analyst at Mirae Asset Securities, predicted, "Samsung Electronics provides a fixed return of 50% of its three-year free cash flow and adds special returns upon achieving significant performance. In 2020, a special dividend fund of 13.8 trillion won was created, resulting in an additional payment of 1,578 won per share, and the special fund for 2026 is estimated at 46.6 trillion won." Analyst Kim Young-geon projected that Samsung Electronics' stock price could rise to 187,000 won.
The majority of securities firms expect Samsung Electronics' target price to be in the 170,000 to 180,000 won range. KB Securities has even set a target price of 200,000 won. Kim Dong-won, an analyst at KB Securities, explained, "In a phase where the structural expansion of the physical AI market, such as humanoids and autonomous driving, is accelerating, the importance of foundries for advancing memory semiconductor speed and power efficiency is expanding," adding, "Physical AI devices that perform inferences at the edge require both system semiconductors that act as the 'brain' and high-performance, low-power memory like LPDDR5X, which further highlights the importance of high-end memory and foundry production alongside upgraded system design."
Analyst Kim Dong-won continued, "As memory emerges at the center of the AI industry structure, the benefits for Samsung Electronics, which has secured both memory and foundry businesses, will become even more pronounced amidst the structural transition to a memory-centric era where memory is combined with supporting system design capabilities."
Samsung Electronics' stock price increase is expected to lead to a rise in the KOSPI index. As of the closing price on the 16th, the total market capitalization of the KOSPI stood at 4,004.8798 trillion won, of which Samsung Electronics' market cap accounts for 22% at 881.4341 trillion won. Surpassing the 5,000 mark for the KOSPI index is also a key campaign pledge of President Lee Jae-myung. Therefore, a rise in Samsung Electronics' stock price brings the fulfillment of President Lee Jae-myung's pledge one step closer.